Top Loading Wedge with Adjustably Engageable Bottom Apparatus and Method

ABSTRACT

A non-hydraulic dredge comprised of a vaned conveyor/traction/drive assembly. A bi-directional embodiment is disclosed. An elevation adjustment and obstruction override embodiment as disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos.60/691,724 filed Jun. 17, 2005; 60/712,228 filed Aug. 29, 2005;60/723,485 filed Oct. 4, 2005; 60/736,886 filed Nov. 15, 2005; and60/800,172 filed May 13, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the field of earth and other materialhandling, in particular dredging.

2. Related Art

Traditional hydraulic dredging is known to have manifest problems withefficiency, accuracy, and material control. Traditional dredginginvolves hydraulically pumping fluid from the bottom of the body ofwater after a cutter of one of several types is used to disrupt mud,silt or gravel on the bed of the body of water. On the surface, solidand liquid matter is separated. Typically, 90% of the material pumpedfrom the bottom of the body of water is fluid, which is highlyinefficient. Another technique is a drag line or bucket dredge whichmust repeatedly haul up bucket full of material from the bottom, onebucket at time which is inefficient because it is slow.

Both of these prior methods create plumes of sediment in the body ofwater. These plumes can be highly problematic, especially when the bodyof the water may be polluted by material such as heavy metals or PCBs.

There is a need in the art for a more efficient apparatus and techniquefor lifting mud, sediment and gravel from the bottom of a body of water.There remains a continuing need in the art for durability, economy, andoperability in a range of conditions. There is also a need in thegeneral earth moving arts for a more efficient apparatus and techniquefor lifting earth, loose rock, sand, mud or other material from anyarea, including dry land, quarries, oil sand recovery, oil or otherspill recovery, reclamation in areas that may be dry but also includesswamp, bog, peat, tundra, taiga and the like.

Further challenges in the art of shallow water non-hydraulic dredginginclude efficient turning of the dredge and avoiding or overridingobstructions on the bottom of the body of water. There is a need in theart for a bi-directional non-hydraulic dredge. There is a further needin the art for a mechanism for meeting and/or coming obstructions suchas trees, rocks or the like on the bottom of the body of water beingdredged. As always, there are continuing needs for economy, flexibility,durability and efficiency.

In maneuvering a non-hydraulic shallow water dredge steering andpositioning, particularly in a current, create problems not readilyaddressed by normal marine steering and propulsion systems. There is aneed in the art for bottom engaging steering and positioning systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed embodiment of the present invention is a non-hydraulicdredge. The apparatus includes a conveyor or other similar moving beltor chain with a plurality of vanes or cutters attached to it. Theconveyor and vanes are at least partially submerged and disposed to bein contact with the bottom of the body of water to be dredged, at leastin part. As the conveyor moves over the bottom material, the vanes enterthe solid material, cut and section it and then direct the solid mattertowards a cutting and lifting apparatus. Although the disclosedembodiment is a dredge for using on submerged materials such as mud,silt or gravel, it is within the scope of the present invention that theinvention be used for any earthly material moving on dry or wet ground,submerged or otherwise, including but not limited to hard packed earth,loose earth, dirt, mud, sand, gravel, swamp, bog, peat, tundra or taiga.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the entire conveyor and vaneassembly is submerged entirely. In this embodiment, a horizontal cutterand riser apparatus trails the conveyor/vane apparatus. The cutter isunderneath the section of bottom material. Disposed in close cooperationwith the cutter is a riser or lifting apparatus. The lifting apparatusdeposits the section that cut portion of bottom material onto aconveyor. This conveyor conveys the section of cut bottom material abovethe surface of the water and deposits it a hopper.

In another embodiment of the invention, only a portion of theconveyor/vane assembly is in contact with the bottom of the body ofwater. Another portion of the conveyor extends above the surface of thewater and over a hopper for disposal of the section of cut portions ofbottom material. In this lifting function, the conveyor/vane assemblyworks in close cooperation with a lifting throat which also extends fromthe cutter beneath the surface of the bottom of the body of water andextends to above the surface of the water. At the top, trailing end ofthe throat, the sectioned material is deposited from the conveyor/vaneassembly into a hopper.

In another aspect of the present invention, the wedge may be operated ineither direction. Bidirectional cutters and material elevationapparatuses enable bi-directional capability. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the wedge is equipped with an adjustableapparatus so that the flap, bottom engaging portion of the apparatus mayremain level in its engagement in the bottom of the body of water as thedepth of the water and consequently the elevation of the non-hydraulicchange. Moreover, in another aspect of the invention, a obstructionoverride and avoidance apparatus is enabled.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is side view of a conveyor vane assembly with a cutter andthroat.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a wedge shaped configuration of a conveyor vaneassembly with a cutter and throat.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a traction vane assembly disposed inclose cooperation with a cutter and lifter apparatus and a liftingconveyor.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of a traction vane assemblydisposed in close cooperation with a cutter and lifter apparatus and alifting conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the submerged traction vane and cutterassembly together with a lifting and control frame.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a bi-directional non-hydraulic dredge.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an elevation adjustable non-hydraulic dredge.

FIG. 8 is a detailed side view of an elevation adjustable non-hydraulicdredge.

FIG. 9 is a perspective close up of the elevation adjustablenon-hydraulic dredge.

FIG. 10 is a perspective close up of the elevation adjustablenon-hydraulic dredge in a different position.

FIG. 11 is a top view of an elevation adjustable non-hydraulic dredge.

FIG. 12 is a side view of another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is perspective view of a dredge hull having turning anchorsmounted on its bow.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a non-hydraulic dredge hull with positioninganchors mounted its bow.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a dredge hull with a bottom engagingdirectional rudder in a removed position.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a non-hydraulic dredge hull with a bottomengaging rudder in an engaged position.

FIG. 17 is a top view of a dredge hull with a schematic representationof a bottom engaging rudder.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a cleat and fin assembly.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a fin.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an individual cleat.

FIG. 21 is a side view of an individual fin.

FIG. 22 is an end view of an individual fin.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a dredge assembly including sectioning fins.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a releasable throat and sectioning finassembly.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of releasable throat and sectioning finassembly having one released throat section.

FIG. 26 depicts a dredge having containment skirts.

FIG. 27 is a front view of a dredge including a guard rail.

FIG. 28 is a side view of a dredge including a guard rail.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a tracked embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a side view of a tracked embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a side view of a dredge assembly having a tensioning roller.

FIG. 32 is a top view of a tracked embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Referring now to the drawings where like numbers designate likeelements, FIG. 1 depicts a conveyor vane assembly. A plurality of vanes1 are attached to a conveyor 2. A conveyor is disposed to rotatepartially around each of an upper and a lower wheel 12. Either or bothof the wheels 12 may be a drive wheel. Either wheel may also be anundriven return wheel. Either or both wheels may be controlled andmaintained by tensioning devices 9 and 10. Structural support for theupper aspect of the moving conveyor 2 is provided by a linear upperslide 8 over which the conveyor 2 travels. Similarly, a lower slide 11provides support for the flexible conveyor on its underside return path.

Disposed to work in close cooperation with the vanes 2 at theirlowermost and deepest penetration into the bottom material is asubstantially horizontal cutter blade 4. The cutter blade 4 ispositioned and maintained by a lower support structure 5. The lowersupport structure 5 is also integrally formed or assembled with alifting throat providing a surface disposed to work in close cooperationwith the outer edge of each of the plurality of vanes. The lower supportstructure 5 extends upwards and rearwards relative to the direction oftravel (arrow A). The lower support structure extends above the surfaceof the water, as does the upper and rearward portion of the conveyorvane assembly. Extending the length of the lower support unit and,optionally, above it is a side shield 14. The side shield may bedisposed in close cooperation with the sides of the vanes 2.

In operation, the conveyor rotates in a clockwise direction as depictedin FIG. 1 such that each vane in turn as the dredge moves forward isbrought into contact with the bottom material. As rotation of theconveyor continues, the vane, driven by the conveyor and supported bythe weight and pressure of the dredge above it, cuts into the bottommaterial as indicated at vane 2A. Substantially at a vertical position,each vane in its lowermost position (2A) presents a laterally sectionedportion of bottom material to the cutting blade 4. The cutting bladecuts under the section of material. As the conveyor continues to rotate,the material is urged upwards and rearwards on the throat, which iscomprised of the lower support structure 5. A left and right side shield14 at its lowermost portion 14A cuts the bottom material along its side,thus completely separating a section of bottom material from the rest ofthe continuous bottom. The forward motion of the dredge and continuedrearward clockwise rotation of the conveyor and vanes urges each fullycut and section portion of bottom material rearwards from the cuttingblade and therefrom upwards onto the lower support structure and intothe lifting throat. As illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 1, continuedrotation of the conveyor continuously urges sectioned material upwardsand rearwards until it is lifted above the water surface level and to aposition roughly proximate to the upper rearward wheel 12. At that pointa discharge chute 15 guides the sectioned material into a hopper. It iswithin the scope of the present invention that the structure receivingthe sectioned and lifted material may be any suitable material handlingstructure including without limitation a hopper, a barge, a standingconveyor, a floating conveyor, a multi-hull, deposit and transportassembly or system or a single hull deposit and transfer configuration.Illustrations of examples of such receiving structures are found in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/486,280, which is incorporated fully byreference herein.

In a second version of the present invention, a third wheel is used toconfigure the conveyor vane assembly into a wedge, see FIG. 2. Again aplurality of vanes 101 are attached to a conveyor 102 which is supportedby an upper slide in its upper aspect 103. As depicted in FIG. 2, threewheels 107 orient the conveyor 102 such that a portion of it 102A isplaced flat along the bottom surface for a length defined by thedistance between lead wheel 107A and trailing bottom wheel 107B. Anysingle one or any combination of wheels 107 may be a drive wheel. Theconveyor 102 is further supported by an upper slide 103, lower slide 109and back slide 108. The two slides in turn are structurally supported bytension devices 110.

Similar to the previous embodiment, a cutting blade 106 is disposedhorizontally and beneath the surface of the bottom material in order tocut and separate sections of material presented to the cutter blade bythe advancing conveyor/vane assembly. The cutting blade 106 is backed bythe lower support structure 104 and, as before, flanked by a shield 105on either side. A discharge chute 15 again is oriented to deposit thecut and lifted sections of bottom material into a receiving structure.

In operation, as before, the conveyor 102 rotates around the wheels andtranslates between them in a clockwise direction as depicted in FIG. 2so that each of the plurality of vanes 101 in turn cuts into the bottommaterial as it rotates around lead wheel 107A. In this embodiment, asthe dredge and wedge conveyor assembly move forward, each vane, havingcut into the bottom material, remains relatively stationary to thebottom material as the dredge and conveyor wedge moves forward over it.Upon reaching the lower rear wheel 107B, each vane in turn rotatesaround it and, again in close cooperation with the lower supportstructure, and sides 104 and side shields 105, which together form thelifting throat, urges a cut and sectioned portion of bottom materialupwards and rearwards along the throat. As before, the upper portion ofthe throat and upper rearward wheel 107C are above the surface of thewater, such that when a section of bottom material reaches a dischargechute 115, it drops into the receiving structure.

In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 3-5, a support structure 201supports a lifting conveyor 209. The lower, lead portion of the liftingconveyor 209 is disposed substantially at or near the surface of abottom of the body of water. The upper and rear portion of the liftingconveyor 209 is disposed substantially at or above the surface of thebody of water and oriented to deposit cut and sectioned portions ofbottom material into a receiving structure.

Material is cut and advanced onto the lifting conveyor 209 by a cutterblade 204, which is again disposed to be substantially horizontal andbeneath the surface of the bottom material. The cutting blade 204 isattached to a mold board or lifter 203 which raises the cut portion ofbottom material onto the lift conveyor 209. The forward advancement ofthe dredge as indicated by arrow A serves to force the blade 204 forwardto cut the material and also to urge the material onto the lift conveyor209. The lift conveyor 209 includes upper and lower wheels 212 and,optionally, intermediate idler wheels 214 and a lower support shield 213internally, as best seen in FIG. 4. These components may be supported,protected and contained by side shields 211.

In advance of the cutter blade 204 is a traction device indicatedgenerally at 220. This device is again comprised of a conveyor, belt,chain or other flexible rotating assembly 206. Disposed on the belt 206are cleats or vanes 207. This traction device may be driven through oneor more of its wheels 214A. The traction device is disposed immediatelybefore the cutter blade 4 in the depicted embodiment. Optionally, thetraction device may be placed farther in advance. As with the previousembodiment, the vanes or cleats 207 rotate clockwise as depicted in thefigures such that the rotation of belt presents each vane in turn at theleading edge of the traction device for cutting into the surface end ofthe bottom material. As the traction device travels over the bottom,each vane on the bottom of the traction device that has embedded itselfinto the bottom material remains stable relative to the bottom materialaround it as the traction device and dredge assembly moves over it. Inthe depicted embodiment, the vanes serve to section the bottom materialand present the bottom material in sections to the cutter blade 204 forcutting.

A support structure for the traction device and separate lift conveyorembodiment of the present invention is presented in FIG. 5. This iscomprised of a support structure 220 and a surface superstructure 216.The surface superstructure is fixedly attached to a hull 215. Thesupport structure for the lift conveyor 209 is attached to the hull at211 with hinge pins 230. The frame 220 is attached to thesuperstructure. The entire lift conveyor may be raised or lowered bymeans of hydraulic lift arms 221 which are anchored at either end on theframe 220 and the surface frame 216. Further control and support may behad by operative connection of a lift cable 218 as operated by a winch217 and attached to the frame 220 at anchor 219.

The traction device in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 may becontrolled in its angle relative to the bottom surface by means of itsmounting and control assembly. The traction device is attached to a liftconveyor superstructure 201 with support arms 223. These support armsare hingedly attached to the lift conveyor superstructure 201. Thesupport arms 223 may be controlled by hydraulic rams 222 connected tothe support arms 223 and a first end into the frame 220 at a second end.At a forward portion of the traction device a control frame 227 isprovided. Control frame 227 is attached to the traction device near itsforward aspect. The attachment may be hinged 228. An anchor 225 servesto mount a second lifting and control cable 224 which may be operatedwith winch 226. Through the combined selected control of hydraulic rams222 and control cable 224, an operator may control the angle of tractiondevice. Accordingly, the traction device may be used for traction,driving, digging, sectioning, avoiding submerged objects and the like.

FIG. 6 depicts another embodiment of the present invention having abi-directional capability. This non-hydraulic dredge may be operated indirection A in which case cutter 304 and material elevation apparatus303 still cut and elevate the bottom material. When operating indirection A, collapsible throat 302 elevates above the contact point.Bottom contact surface 305 of the dredge conveyor is exposed fordredging contact with the bottom of the body of water by elevation ofcollapsible throat assembly 302. In operating in direction B, cutter andmaterial elevation assembly 303 is raised up and away from the contactpoint of the bottom of the body of water with engagement portion 305 ofthe conveyor.

Collapsible throat 302, in the depicted embodiment has two parts, 312and 314, lower component 312 includes a cutter 316. In the depictedembodiment, lower component 312 and cutter 316 may pivotably rotatecounterclockwise in FIG. 6 in order to telescope into upper component314. Alternatively, whether telescoped or not, the entire assembly 302may be elevated. In the depicted embodiment, elevation of lowercomponent 312 and/or the entire assembly 302 is by pivoting around pivotpoint 320.

Another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 7. InFIG. 7 hull 407 supports crane 404 with the boom and grapple formultiple purposes, including removal of obstructions. A wood chipper andexhaust chute assembly 403 is available for elimination of woodenobstructions, such as trees. A transfer conveyor 402 receives elevatedbottom material in order to discharge it to a hopper on hull 407 oralternatively an off hull receptacle, including either another conveyor,another hull or direct deposit in a preferred location for materialdeposit. As described previously, non-hydraulic dredge assembly 401 isdisposed to engage top surface 406 of the bottom of the body of water atbottom engagement surface 420. Thereafter, throat assembly 424,including cutter 426 cuts the pre-selected depth of bottom material fromthe bottom of the body of water to a depth 409 selected by the user.Throat assembly 424 deposits the material on the upper traveling topsurface of the conveyor/non-hydraulic dredge 401 in order that thematerial may be carried out of the water, through the hull and depositedon transfer conveyor 402.

In FIG. 8, details of the non-hydraulic bottom engaging dredge areshown. Conveyor assembly 401 is comprised of a cleated belt 430. Rollers432 and conveyor frame components 443 support the conveyor. One or moreof top roller 432 a, bottom front roller 432 b or bottom back roller 432c may be powered for driving the conveyor. In the depicted embodiment,the preferred direction of travel is to the left of FIGS. 7-10. Theconveyor would rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. 7-10. In the depictedembodiment, the movement of the conveyor and the engagement of itscleats or vanes with the bottom material provides drive to the entiredredge vessel. Depth control is by cleat length.

Efficient operation of the dredge is optimized if engagement surface 411remains level, or at least substantially parallel with the slope orgrade of the top surface of the bottom material of the body of water.Operating problems will include maintaining this flat engagement ofbottom engagement surface 411 with the bottom material when the depth ofthe water changes. Another problem is meeting and overcoming withoutdamage, delay, or unnecessary failure to dredge a portion of the bottomwhen an obstruction is met. In the depicted embodiment, adjustabletensioners provide for flexible and user selectable adjustment of theangle and position of the overall non-hydraulic dredge 401 and conveyorin order to meet these and overcome these operational problems.

In the depicted embodiment, at least one of formed portions 433 aremounted such that they can move relative to the bottom of the body ofwater and/or to the hull on which they are mounted. In particular, frontmember 433 a may be pivoted, substantially around pivot point 412 toextend forward of the rest of the overall dredge assembly 401 or towardsthe bow of the hull by extension of telescoping arm 450. Likewise, frontbottom roller 432 b may be extended or retracted through the use oftelescoping arm 437 on which it is mounted. Telescoping arms 437 may befurther mounted on a pivot point 452 in order to accommodate a changeangle between bottom engaging surface 411 and front frame member 433 aand the conveyor riding on it. Alternatively or additionally, additionaladjustments in depth, elevation of the bottom engaging surface or theangled relationship between back frame member 433 b, the conveyor ridingon it and bottom engaging surface 411 may be made by extending orretracting rear bottom roller 432 c through the use of telescoping arm438. In the depicted embodiment, telescoping arm 438 is mounted at abottom end of rear support frame element 433 b and extends or retractssubstantially parallel to the long dimension of rear frame element 433b.

FIG. 9 depicts the overall assembly of the non-hydraulic dredge 401 andthe cleated conveyor engaging a bottom surface in a first position. Inthis position the difference between front bottom roller 432 b and therear frame portion 433 b with the conveyor riding on it is relativelynarrow through dimension C (telescoping adjustment arms have beenomitted from FIGS. 9 and 10 for clarity and illustrating the variabilityof the position of the components). In FIG. 10, dimension C has beenexpanded, by extending telescoping arm 437 (again omitted from FIG. 10for clarity). It is anticipated that in the position shown in FIG. 9,the entire dredge assembly 401 can further be adjusted rearwardlyrelative to the hull by allowing for such pivoting, as for example atschematically depicted mount 460, which would essentially pivot aroundthe axis of top roller 432 a. Accordingly, it is anticipated that arearward pivoting of the overall assembly 401 and narrowing of dimensionC would allow optimized contact with the bottom of bottom engagingportion 411 in a shallower depth. For a deeper depth, the componentswould be adjusted more as depicted in FIG. 10. That is, the overallassembly 401 would be rotated in direction D and dimension C would beexpanded. Accordingly, bottom engaging portion 411 would continue tomaintain substantially full contact with the surface of the bottom ofthe body of water, allowing for efficient dredging of it.

The embodiment as depicted in FIG. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 or 12 may bemounted otherwise than on a hollow or floatation device. As such, thechain, belts and other apparatus as disclosed herein as the inventionmay be applied for use in a wide variety of applications, includingwithout limitations those that are not submerged such as dry land, andloose earth, hard packed earth, loose rock, gravel, sand, oil sand,waste fills, trash, refuse, quarried products, or other mixed uses thatare neither purely dry land nor submerged, such as swamps, bogs, peat,tundra or taiga.

Another operational problem is meeting and overcoming obstructions. If asemi-submerged rock or tree is met by the dredge, the compression oftelescoping arm 437 would be capable of narrowing dimension C in orderto allow the leading edge of the engagement surface 401 (that portion ofthe conveyor turning around bottom front roller 432 b) to rise up overthe obstruction. Alternatively or additionally, the entire assembly 401may pivot upwardly and rearwardly relative to the hull, or, in adirection opposite to indicated direction D in FIG. 10, in order toprovide further elevation for riding up and over a submergedobstruction. Finally, the rear throat assembly 424 is provisioned asdescribed in FIG. 6 above so that it may elevate cutter 426 and theoverall assembly 424 upwards, counterclockwise in the figures and awayfrom the obstruction in order to avoid it. In the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 4-11, assembly 424 elevates by pivoting around pivot point 428.

FIG. 11 is a top view of one configuration of the non-hydraulic dredgeof the present invention on a hull 407. Dredge assembly 401 woulddeposit material elevated from the bottom in a transfer conveyor 402where it could be selectively deposited in turn onto side conveyors 474a or 474 b for direct re-deposit in a user selected position, deposit onanother hull or deposit into a hopper.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 12 the overall apparatus 500 moves inthe direction indicated by arrow A. The belt, drive chain and vanesrotate clockwise as shown in FIG. 12 or, in the direction indicated byarrow B. Apparatus 500 is comprised of a side panel 501 onto which aremounted drive and idling wheels 502. Any combination of gears 502 may bedrive wheels, but in the depicted embodiment the lower two wheels aredrive wheels. Any drive system may be employed to generate drive,including without limitation engines and motors, but in the depictedembodiment hydrostatic drive is used. In the depicted embodiment, upperwheel 502A is deployed as an idling wheel. Accordingly, tensioningdevice 506 is used for an operator to maintain an optimal tension on thedrive chain/belt/vane assembly.

The drive chain 503 engages with the teeth of the drive gears 502 inorder to rotate the chain. Attached to the chain is belt 505, whichprovides a continuous surface from one side wall 501 to a second sidewall (obscured in the side view of FIG. 12). Belt 505 also provides acontinuous, substantially uninterrupted top surface for a section ofsediment, earth or other material to be lifted as belt 505 proceedsalong a top surface of the sediment 512 to be lifted. A plurality ofvanes 504 are structurally attached to drive chain 503 in the depictedembodiment and along belt 505. Together the drive chain 503, belt 505and vanes 504 comprise a conveyor assembly. This conveyor assembly maybe mounted in a variety of manners without departing from the scope ofthe present invention, including without limitation a single floatinghull, pontoons, multiple hulls, static conveyors, moveable conveyors,trucks or other earth moving apparatuses.

In operation, as the drive chain 503 and belt 505 rotate clockwise, eachsuccessive vane 504 is driven by the weight of the dredge into thebottom material 512 in the vicinity of leading drive wheel 502. Thissediment or sand material is also being penetrated by the leading edgeof the substantially vertical side wall 501. As the dredge movesforward, a section of sediment is cut by the combination of eachsuccessive vane 504 with a first and second side wall 501.Simultaneously, the pressure of at least one vane being driven rearwardagainst the sediment or other material 512 drives the dredge forward. Inthe depicted embodiment, four vanes 504 are fully engaged with thebottom material at all times, providing propulsion.

Thus, the belt 505, sidewalls 501, and vanes 504 cut the sediment to belifted into a section having a top (with belt 505) side (at side plates501) front and back (successive vanes 504). The section of material tobe lifted is completed by a substantially horizontal cut into the bottommaterial by cutter bar 510 at level 513. As the dredge advances, asection of material 514 is cut by the cutter bar 510, which cutcomprises the sixth and final side of the section of material to belifted. Immediately behind cutter bar 510 are a plurality of transverseplates 508 which together comprise a lifting throat. After the cutterbar 510 has completed a section, the continuing rotation of thechain/belt/vane assembly lifts each section against the curvilinearcontour of the throat 508 and around the trailing drive wheel 502. Aftera sufficient degree of rotation, gravity holds the section of material514 against the belt as it rises upwards.

In the depicted embodiment, at the upper extent of the drivechain/belt/vane assembly, this assembly is angled such that as it roundswheel 502A, the force of gravity causes each sediment section to fallfrom the assembly into a receiving device such as any of those describedhereinabove, for example a conveyor or hopper.

In order to accommodate travel over possible buried objects, the cutterbar 510 and partitioned throat 508 assembly is designed to retract. Thecutter bar 510 and each transverse section 508 of the throat aredisposed to be held in place by and slide along guide rails 509. Theguide rails are attached to the side walls 501. An upper terminaltransverse throat panel 508 is in contact with the piston of hydraulicarm 507. The pressure exerted by this arm is selectable by an operator,in order to maintain a selected pressure for cutting the material beingworked upon and also for maintaining a selected “break away” pressure atwhich the cutter bar and panels will retract when brought into contactwith a submerged object such as a large rock, tree, debris or otherwise.When encountering such an obstruction, the transverse panels of thethroat 508 and cutter bar retract upwards and rearwards along the guidetracks 509 and are retained therein until such time as the obstacle hasbeen traveled over by the dredge 500. At that time, the pressure of thehydraulic arm 507 acts to return the throat downwards and forwardsrepositioning the throat and also the cutter bar 510 in reestablishingcutting engagement with the bottom material.

Steering and Positioning Mechanisms

FIGS. 13 and 14 depict a non-hydraulic dredge hull with positioninganchors of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of thehull 600 having a non-hydraulic dredge wedge assembly installed thereon610. At its bow 620, the hull includes (in schematic representation)starboard 621, center 622 and port 623 positioning anchors. FIG. 14 is afront view of the hull showing the bow 620 and the starboard 621, center622 and port 623 positioning anchors. FIG. 2 depicts the body of waterin which the hull 300 floats and further depicts the soft bottom surfaceof the body of water. Of the positioning anchors 621, 622, 623 depictedin FIG. 14, the starboard anchor 621 is vertically extended downwardlyto an extent sufficient to sink into the mud, silt or other materialcomposing the bottom of the body of water.

In operation, a typical non-hydraulic dredge has a dredging breadth aswide as the dredge head. In order to dredge an area, the dredge willneed to make a first pass which will be as wide as the head breadth andthen make successive passes. Preferably each pass is adjacent to theprevious pass in order to dredge the entire bottom surface as required.In a current or possibly a wind, at the end of the pass it may beproblematic to properly position the dredge hull to ensure that thesecond pass is optimally adjacent to the first pass. Additionally,should conventional hydraulic steering control methods (a propeller andrudder) be used, a certain amount of time will be expended in motoringpast the end of the first pass, turning and repositioning the vessel inthe opposite direction to begin a second pass. Accordingly, thepositioning anchors of the present invention insure a proper beginningposition for a next pass relative to a previous pass and also reduceturning time. A side anchor, that is starboard 621 or port 623, at anoperators discretion, is mechanically, in the depicted embodimenthydraulically, extended vertically downwards until it engages the bottomof the body of water being dredged. The positioning anchor is driveninto the bottom of the body of water to a depth sufficient to maintain aposition of the dredge during a turning operation. After the positioninganchor is driven to the sufficient depth, the dredge head 640 isdisengaged from the bottom of the body of water, as by buoyancycompensation, mechanical retraction, extension of the positioning anchoritself, or any combination of these. Thereafter, the hull is turnedaround the positioning anchor. Turning may be achieved by a conventionalpropeller and rudder, side thrusters 630, a bottom engaging rudder asdescribed below, or any combination thereof. Being anchored, the hullwill turn in a radius centered on the engaged anchor. After turning 180degrees, the hull will be properly positioned for a next pass that willbe adjacent to the previous pass. When in its proper position, thedredge head is re-engaged with the bottom of the body of water andanchor is retracted from the extended position, again hydraulically inthe depicted embodiment. Then the next dredging pass is initiated. Inthe depicted embodiment, the outboard heads positioning anchors 621 and623 are substantially in line with the outer edge of the dredge head640, such that they are as far apart as the dredge head is wide.

Bottom Engaging Rudder

For further control in a non-hydraulic dredge operation, typically inmedium or shallow depths of water, a bottom engaging directional rudderis disclosed. In FIG. 15 a hull 700 has attached to its stern a boom 710that is mounted to the hull 700 with a pivot 712 such that the boom 710may be pivotably raised and lowered. The axis of pivot 712 issubstantially horizontal. Raising and lowering the boom 710 is effectedwith an actuator 714 which, in the depicted embodiment, is hydraulic. Ata distal end of the boom 710 is a directional rudder 720. In thedepicted embodiment, the rudder is circular and narrow relative to itsradius. Optionally, the edge of the rudder 720 may be sharp. In FIG. 15,the bottom engaging rudder 720 is depicted in a retracted or elevatedposition. In FIG. 16, the same directional rudder 720 is depicted in alowered or engaged position. In this engaged position, a portion of thebottom engaging rudder 720 is engaged with, that is, sunk into, thematerial comprising the bottom of the body of water. This may be mud,clay, silt, gravel or otherwise. In the depicted embodiment, the bottomengaging rudder is designed and operated such that its entry into thebottom material is less than its radius. That is, the axle 722 on whichthe bottom engaging rudder 720 is mounted to the boom 710, does notengage or descend below the top surface of the bottom material.

In FIG. 17, the bottom engaging rudder is schematically presented on thestem of the hull 700. Rudder 720 is mounted with the axle 722 to theboom 710. The boom 710 is further attached to the hull 700 with a mount730 configured to provide its lateral turning, as by pivoting around anaxis that is substantially vertical.

In operation, the bottom engaging rudder is lowered vertically, withhydraulics in the depicted embodiment, until it engages the bottommaterial. As the hull 700 is propelled forward by other means, forexample a propeller, the bottom engaging rudder 720 rolls forward,cutting its way through the bottom material. When needed to steer, turnor otherwise control the position and direction of the hull 700, anoperator engages an actuator 730 also, hydraulic in the depictedembodiment, to pivot the boom 710 as the user selects from side to sideto turn the hull.

In the depicted embodiment, the positioning anchors appear on the bow ofthe hull and the bottom engaging rudder on the stern. It is within thescope of the present invention that positioning anchors and bottomengaging devices such as the rudder 720 may all be attached to the hullat any point; bow, stern, sides or bottom.

Cleat and Fin Combination

A novel cleat and fin arrangement is disclosed in FIGS. 18 through 22.For some applications a broad belt segmenting broad rectangles ofsediment for raising may be divided into subsections transverse to thebelt. It is also advantageous to bolster the strength of transversevanes or cleats. Accordingly, in FIGS. 18-22 a combination ofinteracting cleats and fins are disclosed. As previously described, achain 806 rotates around the drive wheels and carries with it a belt804. On top of the belt are cleats 802 which serve the same functionvanes depicted in previous embodiments of sectioning mud or sediment tobe lifted. Each cleat 802 has a foot 803 which attaches to the belt 804and/or chain 806 underneath it. Interacting and/or with each cleat 802is a fin 808. The fin 808 is aligned longitudinally with the belt 804and chain 806 as depicted in FIG. 21. Each vane is comprised of a side820 which is longitudinally aligned and an angled base comprised of afin foot 812 and a fin lead face 810. As depicted in FIG. 19, aperspective view, the fin base 806 is transverse to the belt 804 and ismounted on it. The fin face plate 810 is disclosed to abut an adjacentcleat 802 when the belt 804 is flat. In the depicted embodiment, eachfin 808 further has a notch 816 in its leading edge and a extension 818in its tailing edge. The notch of each fin aligns and closely cooperateswith the extension of the next adjacent fin.

As can be seen in FIG. 20, a perspective view and FIG. 22, an end view,each cleat or vane has a vertical member 802 which serves to section themud as described above. Each cleat or vane also has a foot 803 formounting onto the belt 804. Each cleat also has a notch 822 dimensionedand positioned to interact with the extension 818 of each fin. Thesecomponents interact and combine to provide strength to the cleats asthey section mud or sediment. They also divide sections of mud orsediment into smaller volumes for ease of cutting and lifting. The notchand extension arrangement for interaction between each cleat and theadjacent fin promotes unloading of sediment as each cleat and fin roundsthe upper wheel.

FIGS. 23 through 25 depicts a wedge conveyor, non-hydraulic dredgeemploying the cleat and fin assembly. As depicted in FIG. 23, the beltrotates counterclockwise for a direction of travel for the overalldredge to the left in FIG. 23. Each fin trailing edge rotates away fromthe belt at each rotation of the belt around a wheel. At a top wheel 830this rotation promotes the ejection of a section of sediment from thebelt. On a bottom contact plane 832 the fins may advantageously exceedthe cleats in depth. This will promote the contacting and driving awayfrom the belt and other operational components of the dredge anysubmerged obstructions. The fins 802 further provide reinforcement tokeep loading forces from pulling the cleats backward or out of verticalwith the belt and thereby warping the belt and/or drive chains away fromthe drive wheels and sprockets.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an assembly including support fins 802.In the depicted embodiment, the support fins subdivide a transversesection between cleats 802 into four sections. The outermost sectionedges are defined by the sidewalls 834 of the dredge. As fins 808 rotatearound trailing wheel 836 they advance between the adjacent edges of anassembly of adjacent trip bottom throats 838. This construction furtherallows the fins 808 to be a greater depth than the cleats 802 in orderto provide protection from submerged and buried objects. Each adjacentthroat section 838 is mounted to a side wall 834 of the dredge atpivoting mount 844 and to a frame portion 840 with mounting rods 842.Each throat section 838 is configured to release or “trip” in the eventthat its leading edge, which is the cutting edge 846, hits a buried orsubmerged obstacle. Each throat section 838 is biased into its down andengaged cutting position for normal operation and maintained there at apreconfigured pressure. In the depicted embodiment, hydraulic rams 848apply this pressure. The pressure is preconfigured to be overcome whenit exceeds a threshold and that threshold is anticipated to be set atthe degree of resistance corresponding to the cutting edge 846 meetingand buried obstruction that would otherwise break the throat component838.

FIG. 25, another perspective view of the sectioned assembly with finsdepicts one of the throat sections 838 in its released or trippedposition, which allows a buried obstruction to pass.

Sediment Containment Skirts

Another novel aspect of the present invention is that in addition to theabsence of a sediment plume such as created by hydraulic dredgingtechniques or clam shell buckets in the prior art, the dredge of thepresent invention may further reduce sedimentation with the advantageoususe of sediment containment skirts. As depicted in FIG. 26, two to fourcontainment skirts 902, 904 extending from the hull of the dredge downto the bottom of the body of water and, optionally, into the sedimentforming the bottom are containment skirts. These skirts are outside thefootprint of the dredge itself and its contact with the bottom of thebody of water. These skirts may be made of flexible material, oralternatively, solid material such as steel mounted in a pivotingfashion. In operation any small amount of sediment suspended into thebody of water by the operation of a dredge is maintained within theimmediate vicinity of the dredge by the skirts and thereby furthersuppressing the suspension of sediments and the bottom of water atlarge, outside the skirts.

In some areas, including certain harbors, marinas and the like, certaininstructions are known to exist in and under the sediment comprising thebottom of the waterway. For example, some floating docks are anchored bya network of chains. In some applications, it is advantageous to providea continuously present device for deflecting such underwater obstaclesand protecting the dredge and its operating parts from those obstacles.

Depicted in FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 are a guard rail 1002. In a depictedembodiment it is centered underneath the conveyor and its vanes. Theguard rail 1002 descends into the sediment or other bottom material to adepth (C). This depth is deeper than a depth (D) at which side rails1004 operate. The depth of vanes 1006, attached as before to a drivechain and/or belt (obscured) may alternately penetrate to a depth of theside plates 1004, or be more shallow than the side plates 1004. In anyevent, any depth of vane penetration or side wall penetration shallowerthan a penetration depth of the guard rail 1002 is within the scope ofthe present invention.

In FIG. 28, a side view of the guard rail is shown 1002 including amount assembly 1008 attaching the guard rail 1002 to the side rails.Otherwise, the dredge conveyor operates as previously described, withconveyor 1010 conveying vanes 1006 around wheels 1014 to section andlift sediment from the bottom.

The guard rail 1002 may be disposed to present only an edge to thedirection of travel, thereby minimally impeding forward progress and thepower needed to attain it. The leading edge of guard rail 1002 mayoptionally extend ahead of the leading edge of the side walls 1004, witha direction of travel being in either direction. In operation,underwater obstructions contact the leading edge of the guard rail 1002and, as the dredge moves forward, the guard rail and dredge rise and/orthe obstruction sinks, thereby allowing the dredge assembly to travelover the obstruction.

A further embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIGS.29-31, as a track mounted dredge. A dredge assembly 1102 is mounted on achassis, hull, frame or platform 1104. Also mounted on the chassis 1108is at least one pontoon 1106. In the depicted embodiment, there are twolaterally mounted pontoons 1106. The deck 1104 may alternatively bedirectly mounted on the pontoons and together serve to mount the dredgeassembly 1102.

Each pontoon 1106 has mounted thereon a propulsion device. In thedepicted embodiment, the propulsion device is a rotating track 1110mounted around a perimeter of each pontoon. Each track 1110 submergesbelow a water level 1112 to drivingly engage a bottom surface 1114. Anew bottom surface 1116 trails the dredge assembly. The contents of thepontoons may be controlled with ballast tanks 1120 and pumps 1122 suchthat their buoyancy and thereby the weight of the dredge transferred tothe bottom surface through the tracks may selectively controlled, aswell as the relative force exerted by the dredge assembly 1102 on thebottom material. Thus, the depicted embodiment is readily adaptable toswamp, marsh, taiga, tundra or other soft, marginal terrain for which amore amphibious device is desirable.

An off loading conveyor 1130 may be mounted to dispose of dredgedmaterial 1132 for direct deposit on an island or levee to be built or toa barge for remote deposit. Dredged material may be dumped on theconveyor 1130 directly from the dredge assembly 1102, as depicted inFIG. 30, or via a transfer conveyor 1134, as depicted in FIG. 29. Powermay be delivered to all powered elements from a power source 1140 suchas an engine. Control of all elements may be had through a pilot house1142.

FIG. 31 depicts an alternative dredge assembly 1102 that may be mountedon any embodiment, but for illustration is shown in FIGS. 29 and 30. Itincludes a tensioning roller 1150. The tensioning roller 1150, togetherwith wheels 1152 deploy the dredge conveyor 1154 in a path that becomesentirely inverted over a transfer conveyor 1134, thus facilitating theejection of dredged material from the dredge vanes 1156 and onto thetransfer conveyor 1134. The tensioning roller 1150 may be furthermounted to the deck 1104 either rigidly or on a moveable mount 1160 suchas a shock absorbing, sprung or hydraulically controlled shaft such thattension of the dredge conveyor 1154 may also be controlled and/orextraordinary stresses on the dredge conveyor may be absorbed withoutdamage or work interruption.

FIG. 32 is a top view of the tracked embodiment showing the moveablemount 1160, as well as the other components. It further shows a space orthroughole in the deck 1104 dimensioned to accommodate the dredgeassembly 1102.

As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, asdescribed above with reference to the corresponding illustrations,without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather thanlimiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims appendedhereto and their equivalents.

1. A dredge for lifting said segments of sediment comprising: a mountingassembly; a conveyor assembly, said conveyor assembly being mounted onsaid mounting assembly; a drive wheel, said drive wheel being drivinglyengaged with said conveyor assembly; a drive generator, said drivegenerator being drivingly engaged with said drive wheel; a plurality ofvanes, said plurality of vanes being attached to said conveyor assembly;a cutter bar, said cutter bar being disposed in working relation to saidplurality of vanes, such that segments of sediment are cut as saidconveyor assembly moves, the cutter bar cutting a bottom of eachsegment, a first vane cutting a first side of each segment and a nextvane cutting an opposing side of each segment; said conveyor assemblybeing further disposed to lift each segment after said cutter bar hascompleted cutting each segment; and said conveyor assembly beingflexible and mounted on at least two spaced apart wheels.
 2. The dredgeof claim 1 wherein said mounting assembly is a buoyant hull.
 3. Thedredge of claim 1 wherein said conveyor assembly is further comprised ofa drive chain.
 4. The dredge of claim 1 wherein said conveyor assemblyis further comprised of a belt.
 5. The dredge of claim 1 wherein saidconveyor assembly is held substantially flat against a top surface ofsediment by at least two wheels.
 6. The dredge of claim 1 wherein saiddrive generator is selected from the group comprising: a gasolineengine, a diesel engine, an electric motor and a hydrostatic drive. 7.The dredge of claim 1 wherein at least three of said plurality of vanesare engaged with sediment as said dredge moves over the sediment.
 8. Thedredge of claim 1 further comprising a throat, said throat beingdisposed to guide each segment of sediment onto an upwards moving aspectof said conveyor assembly.
 9. The dredge of claim 8 wherein said throatis comprised of a plurality of transverse plates.
 10. The dredge ofclaim 9 wherein said plurality of transverse plates are disposed toslide along a guide, said guide being mounted on at least one sideplate.
 11. The dredge of claim 9 wherein said cutter bar is also a firstof said plurality of transverse plates.
 12. The dredge of claim 9wherein said plurality of transverse plates is held in a first positionby a throat position maintenance device.
 13. The dredge of claim 12wherein said throat position maintenance device is an hydraulic cylinderand piston.
 14. The dredge of claim 9 wherein said transverse plates aremaintained in a first position and disposed to retract from said firstposition to a retracted position in response to contact with a submergedobject.
 15. The dredge of claim 1 wherein said conveyor assembly isdisposed to deposit segments of sediment in a receiving assembly. 16.The dredge of claim 15 wherein said deposition of said segments ofsediment is by gravity.
 17. The dredge of claim 1 further comprising atleast one side plate.
 18. The dredge of claim 12 wherein said side plateis disposed to cut a third side of each segment of sediment.
 19. Thedredge of claim 18 further comprising a second side plate, said secondside plate being disposed to cut a fourth side of each segment ofsediment.
 20. The dredge of claim 1 wherein at least two adjacent onesof said plurality of vanes are maintained substantially parallel to oneanother while engaged with sediment.
 21. The dredge of claim 1 furthercomprising containment skirts around said conveyor assembly.
 22. Amethod of dredging segments of sediment comprising: deploying a mountingassembly; said mounting assembly having a conveyor assembly beingmounted thereon; driving said conveyor assembly with a drive wheel, saiddrive wheel being drivingly engaged with said conveyor assembly;powering said drive wheel with a drive generator, said drive generatorbeing drivingly engaged with said drive wheel; sectioning sediment witha plurality of vanes, said plurality of vanes being attached to saidconveyor assembly; cutting said sections with a cutter bar, said cutterbar being disposed in working relation to said plurality of vanes, suchthat segments of sediment are cut as said conveyor assembly moves, thecutter bar cutting a bottom of each segment, a first vane cutting afirst side of each segment and a next vane cutting an opposing side ofeach segment; and lifting said segments with said conveyor assembly,said conveyor assembly being further disposed to lift each segment aftersaid cutter bar has completed cutting each segment; wherein, saidconveyor assembly is flexible and is mounted on at least two spacedapart wheels.
 23. A method of building a dredge for lifting segments ofsediment comprising: providing a mounting assembly; mounting a conveyorassembly on said mounting assembly; engaging a drive wheel with saidconveyor assembly; engaging a drive generator with said drive wheel;attaching a plurality of vanes to said conveyor assembly; disposing acutter bar in working relation to said plurality of vanes, such thatsegments of sediment are cut as said conveyor assembly moves, the cutterbar cutting a bottom of each segment, a first vane cutting a first sideof each segment and a next vane cutting an opposing side of eachsegment; and deploying said conveyor assembly to lift each segment aftersaid cutter bar has completed cutting each segment; wherein, saidconveyor assembly being flexible and mounted on at least two spacedapart wheels.
 24. The dredge of claim 1 further comprising a guard rail.25. The dredge of claim 24 wherein said guard rail is disposed to be thedeepest penetrating component of the dredge.
 26. The dredge of claim 1further comprising tracks mounted on said overall dredge assembly, saidtracks being disposed to selectively engage a bottom surface of a bodyof water.
 27. The dredge of claim 1 further comprising pontoons.
 28. Thedredge of claim 1 further comprising pontoons having buoyancy controlballast tanks.
 29. The dredge of claim 1 further comprising pontoons androtating tracks mounted on said pontoons, said rotating tracks beingdisposed to selectively engage a bottom surface of a body of water.